It's a shaky time for Iowa basketball. Iowa Hawkeye men axe Fran McCaffery after a bad year. Iowa Hawkeye women have lost momentum in the post Clark era, and Iowa State men and women basketball have an average tournament showing. As Drake's head coach Brian McCollum heads to Iowa however, are they the real winner? Ross Peterson of The Rush suggests this apparent loss may be a huge advantage.

The Drake Bulldogs have now lost three high performing coaches, but as Peterson points out. They now find themselves as a pipeline that attracts premium coaching talent. Does this make Drake University the place to go for coaches who work hard and want to rise through the ranks? Will Drake use this as a recruiting advantage for coaches and players. Peterson thinks so.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/ross-peterson-the-rush

Building a Tiny Home in Iowa or an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) sounds straightforward, but Iowa law makes it anything but simple—a new bill may rectify that. Depending on which city you live in, the laws and regulations may be entirely different. According to Mike Stuart, founder of Tiny Homes of Iowa, this complexity is driving costs up for home buyers entering a new stage of life, but it might not be who you think.

Shockingly, younger buyers aren't interested in low-cost tiny homes; retirees seeking to downside are. With high housing prices, Iowans entering their 70s are wanting to live in their communities and near their families, but are having difficulty. It turns out, finding smaller houses to downside into is hard as builders and cities prioritize more square footage. A new Iowa bill under consideration may force cities to allow ADUs.

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/tiny-homes-of-iowa-adu

Is Christianity on the decline in Iowa? The data may not paint the entire picture, explains Pastor Rob Pearson, Youth and Connections Pastor of Living Waters Fellowship. In 2007, 78% of people identified as a Christian, today the number is 63%. But the definition of "Christian" is also changing.

Pearson explains that many Iowans he speaks to, despite claiming to be a Christian, tell him they aren't actually sure what that means. In that same vein, people from other countries assume everyone from the USA are Christians. Are people really turning away from Christianity or are Iowans finally understanding what Christianity means?

Find this show on your favorite app: https://iowapodcast.com/iowa-churches-christianity

Move over Dos Equis guy, Bruce Gerleman may very well be the most interesting man in Iowa. As the founder of Jethro's, he reacts to the original Jethro's location burning to the ground, a property he sold years ago. He also discusses his background in Iowa, how he paid for a building by selling the inventory inside it, why he coached Superman and Aquaman, and the origin story of the Adam Emmenecker challenge.

Gerleman recounts the origins of Jethro's, his second restaurant concept in Iowa after Splash Seafood in Downtown Des Moines. He mentions he wanted to bring Texas BBQ to Iowa, but with a unique Iowa spin. He also takes us on a fun trip down memory lane discussing how the Adam Emmencker challenge was created, and how a small woman holds the record over some big burly guys, including the host of Man Vs Food.

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/bruce-gerleman-jethros

For those not in the know, just being recognized by The James Beard foundation is a big achievement, and Andy Schumacher of Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids has the bragging rights. The celebrity chef, who was beaten by Guy Fieri on a reality show, discusses fine dining in Iowa.

The chef and owner graduated from The University of Iowa and decided to move to Brooklyn, NY to pursue cooking. After sharing the stage on The Next Food Network Star with Guy Fieri, who ended up beating him, he eventually brought his culinary skill back to Iowa.

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/cobble-hill-andy-schumacher

A new bill, SSB1051, could shield pesticide manufacturers from civil litigation from Iowans. Senator Tony Bisignano explains his opposition to the bill, saying if it's discovered an organization exposed Iowans to carcinogens, they should face lawsuits like anyone else. But with political lines changing, is this a Republican or Democrat issue?

Bayer who own Monsanto, makers of RoundUp, are pushing the legislation. They argue if a pesticide receives EPA approval they should be safe from civil lawsuits. Bill opponents argue because we don't yet know if these chemicals are linked to Iowa cancer rates, we shouldn't rush to protect companies potentially causing the rise. Republicans are mostly in support of the bill, however with Robert F. Kennedy Junior, a public dissident of glyphosate, being installed as HHS Director last week does that change things?

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/SSB1051-cancer-gag-tony-bisignano-bayer

Where did WHO TV anchor Elias Johnson go? The lifelong newsman has been a fixture in Des Moines news. Before filling the evening news position vacated by Dan Winters September of 2022, Johnson was on WOI, Channel 5. But in August of 2024 just short of two years at Channel 13 he left to lead communications at Fareway. But why?

"It was a personal life issue of missing my family and not being able to do my number one job, which is being a dad," he said. "There is quite a long time where the only thing I could do to get ready for bed is pour a whiskey, or pour a drink, and then just kind of chill out... But that's not healthy." So he made the choice to make healthier choices.

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/where-did-elias-johnson-go

Why is Captain Roys hosting a massive party in the middle of February? We ask owner Wade Thompson about Shiver On The River and who will win the tug-of-war between the Des Moines Police Department and The Des Moines Fire Department. We also talk about East and North side development.

Birdland Marina, Highland Park, and Des Moines North and East Side have been somewhat stagnant for years, but in the last few years development has started and central Iowans have shown an interest in new development including at Birdland Marina. It's an exciting time for the region, says Thompson.

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/captain-roys-wade-thompson-shiver-on-the-river

What Des Moines Airport updates for 2025 should Iowans plan for? Kevin Foley, executive director of the Des Moines International Airport (DSM) shares parking updates, expanded rental car operations, more parking, how art will be structurally designed into the airport itself, and how they're planning for robo-taxis and driverless drop offs!

Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has been serving Iowa since the 1920s. Airport upgrades including interior renovations completed in 2010, and the addition of LED apron lighting in 2019 for energy efficiency, but DSM has needed expansion for many years. Finally, those plans became a reality during a groundbreaking on a $445M terminal expansion project that started in 2023, with the new terminal set to open in late 2026. Foley Shares progress and what Iowans should plan for in 2025.

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/des-moines-airport-updates-2025-dsm

Why did a Chinese AI app called Deep Seek crush our markets? Was any of it real? What is Stargate? Is Iowa an attractive location for data centers because of cheap land and energy? Will the AI race impact Iowans and do we really want more server farms here? AI consultant and early employee of Roboflow, Mohamed Traore explains.

There's a new story on AI every day, but most folks' experience with "AI" from tools like OpenAI or cheap apps is lackluster. But not only will AI transform every industry, but the impact on Iowa specifically could be huge as tech companies salivate over our cheap land and cheap energy.

Hear the full show: https://iowapodcast.com/Iowa-AI-data-centers-mohamed-traore